Think your kids are being raised to be kind? Think again. A Harvard researcher and psychologist has 5 ways to train your child to be kind and empathetic.

Earlier this year, I wrote about teaching empathy, and whether you are a parent who does so. The idea behind it is from Richard Weissbourd, a Harvard psychologist with the graduate school of education, who runs theMaking Caring Common project, aimed to help teach kids to be kind

1. Make caring for others a priority...

2. Provide opportunities for children to practice caring and gratitude...

Parents in a recent survey agreed, by a six-to-one margin, that parenting is seen as more difficult today than in the past.

Indeed, to hear today’s moms and dads tell it, Ruth Graham wrote recently at Slate, parents “never get their houses clean, never have sex, never read books or have adult conversations, never shower, and never, ever have a moment to themselves.” That’s hyperbolic, as Graham and parents themselves know, but (many parent-bloggers seem to say) it’s not far off the mark.

Although the words "hurry up" did little if nothing to increase my child's speed, I said them anyway. Maybe even more than the words, "I love you." The truth hurts, but the truth heals... and brings me closer to the parent I want to be.

So whenever I see research which shows that parents are, on average,less happy than their childless counterparts, my heart sinks. Equally devastating to me is the research that reveals how my generation of women is unhappier than previous generations. If we aren’t happy, our children aren’t likely to be happy, either. And I really don’t want my children’s generation to follow in our unhappy footsteps.

A year of kindness. Our family project is off and running! Our commitment in 2011 is to complete one out-of-the-ordinary kindness act each week for one full year. Each month we pick from a kindness “type” and our challenge is to complete it before week’s end.

Confessions of an Imperfect Mother This series started way back in March of 2012. On this page you can read about the purpose of the series, and at the end you can find quick links to every post that has been published thus far.

Dr. Amy Fuller's insight:

I deeply appreciate this blogger's embrace of vulnerability in this series where she shares her struggles as a mom.

Get the conversation started at your family dinner table. These adorable free questions can be printed and put in a mason jar. We hope you make many memories, and have lots of laughs around the table this year.

Dr. Amy Fuller's insight:

How neat to create opportunities for speaking and listening at the dinner table. This would make a great gift as well.

Whether you are a work at home mom or a work outside the home mom, time to yourself is a rare and precious commodity. Taking time for yourself is a necessary practice not only for your own mental health but also to be able to give your family, career and passions your best.

Dr. Amy Fuller's insight:

We moms often neglect self-care in the summer...use this list to find new ways to take care of yourself!

As a parent and a child psychologist I firmly believe in focusing on reinforcing positive behaviors …as opposed to punishing negative ones. This stems from my knowledge of what behaviorists have studied about human behavior … AND my first hand experience with kids. Positive reinforcement works … and also helps foster independence, life skills, and self-esteem. It focuses more on mutual respect than power-differentials. Punishing (such as time-outs and taking away privileges) works too and it is sometimes needed, but if positive behaviors are reinforced regularly there will be less of a need for the punishments … and in turn less power struggles.

Follow these tips to raise a healthy, happy child. Some tips may be hard work, others may come naturally, but after you've covered the ten bases, you can stop stressing about the rest and get on being a great parent and enjoying your child.

Entitlement has been the topic of the summer for me as I deal with my own issuesas well as those of my young children.We live in an entitled society where "have it your way" has become a personal motto for most people and where "me first" isn't just something your two-year-old demands.

But as I have mentioned before, we don't deserve anything, and if we want to teach our children how to follow Christ, then that means lessons in self-denial, contentment, and living a life of humility--something we have to be intentional about. The world is only going to teach them the opposite.I don't have all the answers. My kids beg for stuff every time we go to the store just like yours. I throw pity parties on a regular basis. But here are a few lessons I'm learning as a mom.

Dr. Amy Fuller's insight:

When we move from indulging our kids with the "material" to the immaterial we change their experience of entitlement. This article provides some practical ideas for how to instill a strong work ethic in our kids and model a live of service to others.

We cook, we clean, we may homeschool, take care of babies, and a lot of us run home businesses or work outside of the home. We are busy. When you have more than one child it can be difficult to find the time to spend quality time with each one individually.

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